Saturday, September 26, 2009

Squirrel Napping in Sunset Park! Cartoon Network May Be Involved

Well, okay, the Cartoon Network is probably off the hook, but someone wearing their t-shirt was grabbing squirrels and exiting the park with them. Check out the Friends of Sunset Park website for all the details.

Sparrow? Hardly worth the effort. Squirrel is certainly good eating, but I suspect the 20 something hipster is going to put the unfortunate animal in his buddies apartment as a prank. I always wondered why people don't eat the pigeons; they're far more plentiful than squirrel and a lot easier to kill. Here, for your gastronomic enjoyment, is my recipe for Broolyn Lager Pigeon. Bon Appetite!

PrepCut the backbone from each pigeon, leaving the rest of the bird whole. Heat the oil in a large flameproof casserole. Add the butter and when frothing brown the birds lightly on all sides. Remove the birds.

Fry the onions until golden. Stir in the flour, mustard, ale, sugar, vinegar, salt and pepper. Bring to the boil, stirring.

Return the birds to the casserole. Cover tightly and cook in the oven at 325F for about 2 hours, or until tender. Serve the pigeon on a heated dish.

Reheat the juices with the sour cream and pimientos. Spoon over the pigeons.

Yeah, I appreciate that FoSP points out this is illegal - obviously no illegal activity should be condoned - but it seems like it should be sort of low on the 72nd precinct's list of priorities at the moment.

Also, my husband and I ate pigeon at Gia Lam the other night and honestly, it probably came from the park, right? That's what we were joking anyway.

@Krissa: In a manner of speaking. It probably came from a coop being tended in the area. A free range, cruelty free pigeon like you describe would have cost you more $$$. You know, the Parks Dept has for years been trying to breed hawks in Manhattan to keep the pigeon population in check. Perhaps the recent economic dislocations may prove a better predator. Now, you paid money for that bird, and it tasted good, right? How about the same meal for free? How'd Gia Lam prepare it?

My guess is that Mr. Rinella's scavenging is no longer welcome in his own and surrounding neighborhoods, so he's branching out in our direction.

I'm concerned that Mr. Rinella's successes (NYT article featuring his squirrel dish, dinner parties, and book) may inspire a crop of young hipsters to try their hand at Brunswick Stew. That could be problemmatic.

This is a Havahart trap used to trap live animals without hurting them.